This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

The leaking underground storage tanks at this site were in place and operating before the 1991 release notification, and the nature of underground tank installations at retail fueling sites strongly suggests operations predating 1986 — the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Two decades of documented remediation expenditures to clean gasoline-contaminated soil to regulatory standards represent costs that historical CGL carriers who covered this property during the pre-1986 operational window may still be obligated to reimburse.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.